


hoping to hit you somewhere vital

by sunny_impalas



Category: The Outsiders - All Media Types
Genre: Canon Typical Violence, Cheating, Guilt, Idk what time period this is in tbh, M/M, Sad, Violence, more to be added - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-30
Updated: 2020-06-04
Packaged: 2020-06-05 16:23:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,867
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19425946
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunny_impalas/pseuds/sunny_impalas
Summary: and when i miss, you come and kiss me with a smile





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [AngelGal](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AngelGal/gifts).



> the title is from sex with a ghost by teddy hyde

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm having sex with a ghost, 'cause she knows I'm alone

Two-Bit groaned as he woke up. His head was pounding, and the room smelt like sweat. He felt the blankets shift next to him and he looked over. He was ready to see Darry next to him, but felt his heart stop when he saw a head full of long blonde hair instead of short brown hair.

He quickly sat up and checked under the covers, nothing happened. He was sure of it, he had just stumbled in here and passed out then the chick did the same, that's all. He swallowed when he realized he didn't have his pants on.

Fuck. Oh fuck. Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck.

He stumbled out of bed and scrambled to grab his boxers. He had just finished pulling them on when the woman spoke.

"Leaving so soon?" She asked, her voice low and sultry.

Two-Bit swallowed and nodded, grabbing his jeans and nearly tripping while pulling them on. "Yes. This was a mistake, and I'm a fucking idiot," he muttered. He started to zip up his pants and button them up, he just wanted to get the hell out.

The woman laughed and said, "You weren't saying that last night."

Two-Bit felt his neck get hot as he started to get mad. He whipped around and snapped, "Look lady, I'm dating somebody. This. Was. A. _Mistake_." He glared at her before grabbing his shirt and pulling it on.

The blonde finally shut up and started looking for her own clothes. After a minute or so he pulled on his boots and grabbed his jacket, slipping it on before rushing out of the room.

His mind was going a million miles an hour, and all of his thousands of thoughts were about the man he had betrayed. He didn't deserve Two-Bit. He deserved someone who wouldn't get so drunk they forgot about him and slept with someone else. He deserved someone so much better than him. He deserved the world, and he had settled for a fucking cheat.

As he walked he found himself in front of the Curtis' household. Sunday, Darry'd be home, and judging on the sun in the sky, he'd be awake too. How was he going to face him? Should he even bring it up? It was an accident, why the hell should he bring it up?

He sighed and dragged himself up the stairs and to the front door. He stepped in, surprised to find no one in the living room. He swallowed his nerves and walked to Darry's room. When he reached the door his hand hesitated over the door handle before turning it and carefully pushing the door open.

He bit his lip when he saw him sleeping peacefully. The light flooding in from the hallway highlighted his face, making him look ethereal. Two-Bit hit his head against the wall, how could he have been so fucking stupid? Darry deserved more.

He studied the sleeping man for a minute before tip toeing his way into the room. He bit his lip and carefully sat on the bed. He winced when Darry woke up a bit. Two-Bit smiled at him as his eyes blinked open, revealing his pretty ice colored eyes. He was so perfect, he deserved someone much better than him.

After the brunet woke up a bit more he smiled back at Two-Bit. "Hey, love." He voice was rough and deep from sleep and it made Two-Bit melt.

Why did he have to be such an idiot? He sighed softly and ran a hand over the brunet's head. "Lazy day?" He asked, smiling at the content hum the other man let out.

Darry simply nodded and leaned into the touch. They both lapsed into a comfortable silence with Two-Bit playing with the older man's hair. He studied his face and wondered to himself what he had done to deserve him, especially when he was such a shitty boyfriend. The brunet was starting to doze off when he opened his eyes and smiled up at Two-Bit.

"You should lay down with me." He murmured before closing his eyes again.

The younger man hesitated for a second before scooting back on the bed, kicking off his boots and laying down behind Darry. He pulled him close to his chest, burying his face in his lover's shoulder. The more he thought about it, the more he realized he didn't have to tell Darry about his little affair. It was an accident, wasn't it? He felt bad about it too, why would he hurt Darry by telling him if he already regretted it?

He smiled to himself and kissed the man's back. He wouldn't say anything. It was a secret he'd take to his death. He sighed and closed his eyes, letting himself get lost in the warmth and the peacefulness of the room.

* * *

Dally was pissed. He couldn't believe it. He had been sat in his room boiling in his rage since the night before. He hadn't slept either, which probably wasn't help him think about this rationally. He had snapped at everybody who tried to walk into his room, mostly drunken couples who sight made his blood run even hotter.

He was about to yell at the door again when it opened to reveal Buck. He bit his tongue when he saw the cowboy and slumped back into his pillow. Buck cocked an eyebrow and walked into the room, letting the door fall shut behind him.

He studied the kid for a second before walking over and sitting at the foot of the bed. They were both quiet and Buck could feel the anger Dallas was sitting in. The air was stiff enough to nearly choke him.

"So, what is it?" He asked. He leant his arms on his knees and looked up at Dally, watching him cross his arms.

The blond muttered something and slumped his shoulders, a good sign that he was about to blow up. Buck sighed and took off his hat, rubbing the rim between his thumb and pointer finger. He could never understand this kid, but he reckoned no one else really could either. He was a safe chock full of emotions and thoughts, and Dally refused to tell anybody the code to his lock. Buck didn't mind though, the kid had been through shit and he didn't want to talk about it. It was fine.

After a few more minutes of silence Buck was about ready to give up and walk back down to the bar when the kid spoke, his voice dripping with poison.

"Two-Bit cheated on Dar."

Those words made Buck pause. Two-Bit didn't seem the type. He always bragged about Darry, and he dragged him over to the bar to show him off a couple of times too. The thought of him cheating didn't seem right.

"Are ya sure? It could've been someone el-"

Dallas cut him off, finally blowing up. "No! It was Two-Bit fucking Mathews! Who else has those fucking stupid sideburns?!" He stood up and started pacing around the room, pushing over the chair he used for a nightstand, "He was sweet talkin' this blonde and they fucked, Buck! How do you do that?! Especially to Darry god damn Curtis?" He was pacing around the room, the rage that filled him pulsing out of him and filling the room. His yelling had attracted a crowd outside the door, faint whispers coming from it.

Buck glared at the crowd before asking, "Are you serious, Dal? Two-Bit just doesn't seem the type.."

Dallas paused and glared daggers at the man, his look mean enough to kill. "I know what I _fucking_ saw, Buck." He hissed. His hands were fists by his side, and he looked about ready to punch another hole in the wall.

Buck sighed and spoke again, "Well, if you're so sure about it, what do you wanna do about it?" He asked, popping his old hat back onto his head.

Dally paused. The energy in the room became stagnant, thickening and changing into something other than rage. He was still mad, unbelievably so, but he also felt sympathetic for once in his God damn life. He knew what it was like to be cheated on, although he couldn't really blame Sylvia. She was a nice girl who just didn't want to wait around for a bum like him. And he also knew how much he hated how Sylvia always waited to tell him she had cheated on him again until the last minute.

He let out an irritated sigh and picked up the chair, he sat down on it and started bouncing his foot. He figured Two-Bit had been drunker than ever to be able to cheat on Darry, but he also knew you just didn't cheat on people. Even if you were drunk.

When he made up his mind he looked up to tell Buck, but paused when he saw the old cowboy had left the room. He shook his head and stood up, grabbing his leather jacket and shrugging it on. He made his way out of the room, ignoring the whispers and stared he got from the peanut gallery that had gathered outside his room.

He did look up though when he heard Buck laugh a bit behind the bar. He glanced over, expecting to find some chick sweet talking him. He glared a bit though when he saw Buck was smiling at him and shaking his head.

"What?" He snapped. His hands were shoved in his pockets and he started tapping his foot impatiently.

Buck shrugged and turned away from him. He started putting away clean glasses and Dally walked out of the room. As he walked towards the Curtis' household the rage he had felt earlier slowly started to seep back into his veins. Two-Bit Mathews was a fucking dumbass, and he was going to make sure Darry knew that.

He rolled his shoulders as he reached the front door to the house. He took a small breath and pushed open the front door.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Even from a distance I can hear her

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long to get out lmao

Two-Bit woke up groggily and groped around for Darry, who was supposed to be asleep right next to him. A faint frown bloomed on his face when all he found was empty mattress. He sighed and rolled into the still warm spot the older man had occupied. He was about to slip back off into sleep when he heard two voices sound from downstairs. His eyebrows furrowed when the conversation turned into an argument.

Suddenly one of the voices stopped and whoever it belonged to started up the stairs. He hardly had time to sit up when the bedroom door flew open and the person stormed towards him. His eyes hadn't even opened when he was pulled out of bed by his shirt. He groaned and blinked his eyes open as he tried to shove his way out of the grip on his collar. His stomach dropped when he saw Dallas Winston's pissed off face in front of him. Why was he so mad? He wracked his brain to try and find a way that he could've pissed Dally off, but none came to mind.

"I know you cheated on Darry." Dally hissed, a red hot rage blazing behind his cold eyes.

He froze and swallowed. Oh. Oh shit. So that's what had pissed Dally off so much. He finally managed to scoff and shake his head in vague denial. The blond looked about ready to choke him to death.

"So what if I did? I was black out drunk, I had no idea what I was doing." Two-Bit countered, trying to hide the nervousness in his voice.

Dally opened his mouth to shoot something back, but was cut off when the door creaked. Both the blond and redhead turned to see the face of a very, very hurt Darrel Curtis. There were tears gathering in his eyes and his lip was beginning to shake. Two-Bit's heart shattered, he had only ever seen Darry cry when his parents died. And to see him so close to breaking down thanks to him? He just wanted to sink into the floor and disappear.

"You really cheated on me?" The older man asked, his voice cracking with unshed tears.

Two-Bit started to defend himself, but looked over at Dally and saw his words were entirely unwanted. He simply looked over at Darry and nodded defeatedly. He squeezed his eyes shut as he heard the sob that escaped Darry. He was a god damn coward. He couldn't even look at the brunet.

After a few moments of silence Two-Bit finally managed to force the words, "I... I should go." He kept his head down as he rushed out of the room, his shoulder bumping into Darry's.

He paused for a second to look back at the brunet, but his heart shattered all over again. Darry's face was buried in his hands and his shoulders were shaking with hurt sobs. He did that. He was the monster that had made Darrel Shaynne Curtis Jr. cry. He heard the door to Pony and Soda's room open and he once again turned around and rushed down the stairs.

He was halfway back to his house when he realized that he had forgotten his boots next to Darry's bed.

* * *

It was a few hours later, and the sky was beginning to turn dark. The pinks and oranges covering the city like a warm blanket. Two-Bit had locked himself in his room, and hadn't even let his little sister in. Hours had passed and he had trashed his room. Various pictures and books were strewn across the floor along with his comforter.

He was so angry, the last time he had felt a rage like this his dead beat of a dad had walked out on them. And he had been six then. He wasn't mad at Darry, Darry was the only innocent one. He was pissed at himself.

He couldn't get the look of horror and disbelief Darry's face held just hours before. He was such an idiot. Once there was nothing else to throw he fell to his floor and pulled at his hair, not knowing what else to do. After a few minutes of mildly freaking out he sat up, staring at the window. He thought about the heart broken sob Darry let out as he left, and how he couldn't even apologize. Slowly he got to his feet as he decided that he should go say sorry. It was the least Darry deserved.

He looked around for some old sneakers and quickly pulled them on. He didn't bother tying them as he unlocked his bedroom door and walking through the mostly quiet house to the front door. He ignored his mother's attempt to ask what had gotten him so upset and quickly shut the front door.

He made his way to the Curtis' house in relative silence, only once hearing a few people chatting with each other, only to quiet down once he passed. He kept his eyes on the sidewalk, not thinking about anything else besides Darry. He couldn't believe he fucked up so badly, he had never seen Darry cry like that. He had a soft heart, no matter how much he liked to hide that fact. And Two-Bit had been lucky enough to be given his trust, to see the soft and tender sides of him. And what did he do? He tossed him into a meat grinder when he got drunk and saw a pretty girl.

He was such an idiot.

After a few more minutes, he arrived in front of the Curtis' home. He swallowed shakily, and ran his hand through his hair, clean and without grease for once. He slowly walked up the stairs of the front porch and opened the door, looking around. He paused when he saw the others sat in front of the T.V. All except Darry. Once they had heard the door creaked they looked over, and he nearly winced at the look Sodapop gave him, downright murderous. He saw him go to stand up, but Steve placed his hand on his thigh and he slowly sat back on the couch. Two-Bit swallowed again and made his way to Darry's room, each step more cautious than the other.

Once he reached the partially open doorway he saw the older man sat in front of the mirror. He was shirtless, and Two-Bit could just barely make out what looked like finger nail scratches over some hickeys he had left just a few days earlier. He looked empty, almost. His eyes were half lidded, and there seemed to be a haze over them, making his them seem unfocused. Two-Bit leaned forward a bit and hit the door, it's creak alerting the brunet of his presence.

When they made eye contact Two-Bit felt his heart shatter for what seemed to be the millionth time that day. Darry's eyes were blood shot and still a little watery, tear tracks stained across his freckled face. He stood up then and walked over to Two-Bit, his eyes still foggy. They stood in silence for a moment, Two-Bit at a loss for words and Darry too teary eyed to say anything.

Finally, finally Two-Bit found the courage to say something, even if it was only two little words. "I'm sorry."

"I know."

Two-Bit was taken aback by the older man. He expected screaming, crying, anything to help him get out of this funk. But no, no Darry had to be calm. He had to use that quiet voice he uses after he's been crying for a long time where his voice is hoarse from the loud sobs and that's not all. He had to look small, small and sad and the back of Two-Bit's neck started to heat up with a quiet anger, and he doesn't quite know who it's supposed to be directed at. But his emotions are finally rubbed to the rawest they can be, and he snaps.

"I know? Really, Dar?" He hissed, and he knew deep down Darry didn't deserve this, Darry didn't deserve to have to put up with this, but god damnit he needed to snap.

Darry opened his mouth to say something, apologize most likely, but Two-Bit cut him off.

"Why're you being such a dick about this? I'm trying to apologize, Dar! It was a mistake! Can't we just be okay?" Two-But gradually got louder with every sentence, near yelling with the last word.

And then Two-Bit saw it, the tear slipping down Darry's face and his heart shattered all over again. He wanted to grab him and hold him close and never let go. Darry just looked so damn scared in the lights and with the scratches down his chest and shoulders and that fat alligator tear rolling down his face. Two-Bit wanted to protect him from everything bad, and he wondered distantly if he was thinking about Darry or someone else. Darry could protect himself, so why did Two-Bit feel the need to do it for him?

Two-Bit started to apologize, a hand reaching for Darry who looked about ready to sob again when another, smaller hand grabbed his wrist. He looked over at the owner of it, his eyebrows jumping up when he saw Ponyboy. His eyes were hard and he looked like he was trying to seem mean, but with that baby face he still had it came out more like a scowl you would have if someone stole something of yours and was taunting you with it. Once again, Two-Bit opened his mouth to say something, but Ponyboy beat him to it.

"You should leave."

Two-Bit paused, this kid never says anything to anyone and suddenly he's telling him to leave? He just shook his head and turned back to Darry, who was clearly trying to wipe away the clumps of tears that had started to make his eyes spikey again, but Pony pulled on his wrist and he stumbled away from the older man.

"Get out, Two-Bit. Darry needs to be alone."

What a lie. Pony just wanted Two-Bit gone for whatever reason. He started to argue again, but a shout from the bottom of the stairs cut him off for what seemed to be the hundredth time that day. He just couldn't catch a break, could he?

"You should get home, Two-Bit. Shepard's pissed with you, and you're lucky I haven't kicked your teeth in yet." Dally's voice called from the bottom of the stairs.

Oh.

Oh _fuck_.

He was dead. He should write his will right now, give it to his mother and lock his bedroom door. He pulled away from Pony who went to comfort Darry as the redhead hopped down the stairs. He was caught at his wrist again as he hit the bottom. He let out a little yelp of surprise and looked back at Dally. He looked like he was barely holding himself back from beating him to a pulp right then and there. He looked around at the rest of the guys, hoping to find someone to back him up.

Steve was glaring at him with almost the same intensity as Soda, only he looked like he just wanted to make him bleed. Soda looked like he wanted to snap his neck. Steve's hand was on his thigh again, keeping him down for the most part. Finally, his eyes landed on Johnny, who just shook his head. It felt like he was a gladiator and the emperor was deciding his fate. And it wasn't going in his favor.

He ripped his arm away from Dallas, who almost followed him as he walked out of the door. He thought he heard Johnny make a disapproving hum, but he probably just imagined it. When he got outside and the door closed behind him, a pair of hands grabbed his shirt collar and slammed him against the door. He opened his eyes and looked up at Tim Shepard.

Oh god.

He was so dead.

"Hey there, Mathews." Tim hissed, he had a dangerous smile on his face. The kind only he and Dally knew how to make.

"Hey, Tim." He tried to ignore how his voice cracked, and looked around to see if someone was walking along the sidewalk to help him. The streetlights were on, and no one was in sight. The gang would help him though, right? His heart dropped when he realized that no, they probably wouldn't. No one got away with hurting the Curtis', he supposed. And whoever did had to pay. Dearly.

"I have half a mind to make you bleed here and now, you know." Tim hissed, his grip tightening on his shirt.

"I-"

"Shut up. Now listen to me. You are going to stay the fuck away from Darry, okay? He doesn't need you there reminding him of what you did." Tim explained, he seemed calm, for the most part. But that's why Tim was scaring Two-Bit so bad. When he was mad we was explosive, like Dally. But no, he was as cool as a cucumber compared to that dynamite anger.

Two-Bit nodded his head and Tim backed away from the door, still holding him by the collar. He then pushed him down the stairs of the front porch, a grunt leaving him as he felt the gravel dig into his hands and forearms. He felt the sting of cut skin start to bleed and he looked up at the brunet.

Tim had opened the door to the Curtis', and suddenly Two-Bit's boots were being chucked at his head. He managed to dodge them, looking at them as they hit the gravel too, kicking up dirt. He jumped as the Curtis' door slammed shut and he shamefully got to his feet. He looked around the street, noticing some dolled up girl and a guy kissing in front of a darkened house. He swallowed and grabbed his boots, getting to his feet and near running home.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Try to listen, but her whispers make my ears hurt

Darry had managed to convince Ponyboy that yes, he was fine, even though he knew deep down in the darkest corners of his soul that he was the farthest possible thing from fine. He was hurt, and he felt betrayed. He knew Two-Bit didn't mean to, that it was a mistake, but good lord he couldn't let it go. Who gets so drunk you forget that you're with someone and sleep with some chick? Pony was just leaving his room when they heard the door slam, and they both rushed to see what was happening. Darry sighed when he saw it was just Tim. He glanced between where Two-Bit's shoes were and the blue-eyed man.

Pony practically ran down the steps and the sounds of hit feet padding against the carpet made Tim look back. Darry crossed his arms over his still bare chest when they made eye contact, and immediately the leather-clad man rushed up the stairs to him. They didn't say anything at first, and he felt the eyes of the rest of the boys on the two of them. Tim's eyes made his way to wear the skin was scratched raw over the love bites left by Two-Bit just a few days before, his eyebrows furrowed. He grabbed Darry's arm and led him down the stairs and into the kitchen, mumbling something about getting him cleaned up. Darry sat at the kitchen table as Tim grabbed a washcloth from the drawer and ran it under warm water. He then handed it to the older man who pressed it against the worst patch of bruises and started to massage them a bit.

Eventually, the rest of the gang started to chat in the living room and even turned on the T.V., but Tim and Darry still sat quietly in the kitchen. After a few minutes Sodapop walked into the kitchen with a clean shirt for Darry. The brunet smiled a thank you at him then pulled it over his head. Once he was finally fully dressed his brother spoke, a hushed whisper compared to the rowdiness of the boys in the other room.

"You okay, Dar?"

It was such a simple question, but still, he hesitated over his answer. On one hand, he didn't want to make Sodapop worry over him, on the other he didn't want to pretend like everything was sugarplums and rainbows. An eternity seemed to pass as he toiled over his answer.

Eventually, he decided on a middle ground and replied with, "I will be." He then glanced at the clock, his heart dropping when he saw how late it was and he yelled out into the living room, "Pony, you've got school tomorrow! Go to bed!" To which he got a disappointed groan, but his brother still trudged to his and Soda's room.

Darry then glanced up at Soda, who sighed and said goodnight to the rest of the boys and made his way to bed as well. As if those two had been the only ones keeping them there, the others slowly made their way out of the house, the only one who stayed was Dally who laid out on the couch, his arms crossing underneath his head. Darry went to stand up, but Tim's hand grabbed his elbow stopped him. The older man glared back at him but sat down once again when he saw the look on his face. They still hadn't talked about the elephant in the room.

"Did you break up with him?" Tim asked, his arms crossing over his chest.

Darry paused once again as he thought over his answer, and both Tim and Dally, who was still on the couch, let out an annoyed sigh.

"Dar, c'mon! He fuckin' cheated on you!" Tim hissed, clearly trying to keep his voice down as to not disturb the hopefully sleeping boys upstairs.

Darry went quiet, and so did the other two men. Dally was glaring at Tim, they both knew that he had overstepped his boundaries. But, he had to wonder, when did the dark-haired man ever care about boundaries? He didn't care about much, save Curly and Angela. Why should he care about hurting Darry, or someone else hurting him? He studied Tim's face and realized that the Curtis' meant a whole lot more to him than he wanted to admit, but Dally figured the Curtis' meant a lot to everybody. The family deserved so much more than what they had.  
After a few seconds, the two of them noticed Darry's shoulders shaking, and they both immediately went to his side.

They both sucked at emotions, sometimes they felt like they didn't feel them at all, but by God, if they weren't going to try and make him feel better. Darry leaned into Tim who wrapped his arm around his side while Dally grabbed him a glass of water.

In the middle of them trying to comfort him, he spoke, a small and sad, whisper.

"Am I seriously that forgettable?"

The air in the room stagnated as if the Universe was trying to find the answer for him. As if all the stars in the ever-expanding cosmos wanted to find an answer for him that would make him feel okay. Tim and Dally wanted to search for the answer too, well, they mostly wanted to beat Two-Bit to a bruised and bloody pulp for hurting Darry. But instead, they went soft and tried to comfort the older man.

Dally managed to get Darry to drink the water, once the cup was empty Darry made his way up to the room, the suffocating sadness of the room leaving with him. Dally and Tim looked at each other and a silent conversation passed between them. Tim walked over to the phone and dialed one of his boys' phones. He sounded sleepy, and rather angry about being woken up at a quarter to twelve.

"What is it?"

"I need someone to get Two-Bit Mathews."

"What?" He asked, sounding rather taken aback, "Ain't that one of Curtis' boys- wait, aren't him 'nd Darrel datin'?"

"Two-Bit cheated on Darry." Tim explained, his words level and his tone of voice cool. A far cry from the explosive rage that was going on in his brain.

The phone went silent for a minute or so as if the man on the other line was trying to process such a wild thing.

"Alright, I can probably get 'im tomorrow." He said, his voice darker and more awake than it had been before.

Tim chuckled, no other words needing to be said as he hung up. He turned to Dally, who was shaking his head disapprovingly. They still didn't speak to one another as Tim opened the front door and strode out, a cocky air around him as he made his way back to his house.

* * *

Darry woke up to a crash coming from the kitchen. He looked at his clock and saw it was nine o'clock in the morning. An annoyed groan left him as he rolled out of bed and trudged downstairs, a scowl on his face as he got ready to scold whoever had woken him up. Once he had finally reached the kitchen he opened his mouth to yell, but his voice got caught in his throat when he saw Two-Bit standing in his kitchen with the first aid kit in his hand and various cuts and bruises visible on his face and arms.

They stared at each other for a moment, the silence thick enough to cut through with a knife. Finally, Darry made crossed the tile floor to Two-Bit, gently taking the first aid from his hand and motioning for him to sit down. While he sat Darry grabbed a washcloth from the drawer next to the sink and wet it with some warm water. Once that was done he walked back over to Two-Bit and bent over a bit to start cleaning the cuts on his face. They still stayed quiet, for the most part at least. Darry whispered the occasional apology if Two-Bit let out a hiss of pain.

Once he was done cleaning up his face he placed a band-aid on the ones that were still bleeding. Two-Bit ending up having a bandage over his right cheek and one on his jaw. Darry then worked on cleaning off his arms, repeating the process from before. Once he was done they just sat and looked at each other, a million unspoken words passing between the tense air between them.

Darry was the one who ultimately broke the silence, his voice faint as he asked, "Was it Tim?"

Two-Bit shook his head, the simple action lifting some of Darry's nervousness off of his shoulders. The older man then pulled out a chair and sat next to him, words that needed to be said falling dead on both of their tongues. During the near suffocating silence, Darry grabbed Two-Bit's hand, making the redhead's chest hurt. Why couldn't he just be mad at him? Why couldn't he just scream at him? He deserved it and more.

"I'm so, so sorry," Two-Bit whispered, shifting nervously in his seat, "an' I know that's not gonna make everything okay, but I just want you to know that I'm gonna try and never get that drunk again." He squeezed Darry's hand, trying to convey how terrible he felt.

The older man swallowed and brought his free hand up to Two-Bit's face, gently rubbing his thumb over his cheek, as if to say he understood. Two-Bit near melted against the touch and turned his head to press a kiss to his palm, mostly out of habit.

"I know I can't fix this, not yet at least, but do you think you could let me try?" The younger man asked, glancing up into those pretty pale blue-green eyes.

Darry thought for a moment, before nodding slowly, "Yeah, you can, but for now, let's just say we're taking a break, okay?"

Two-Bit grinned and nodded; That was all he could have asked for. Darry smiled back and pressed a kiss to his head before standing up and walking over to the stove to start on breakfast. When Pony and Soda finally woke up, they nearly started in on Two-Bit for coming back already but stopped when they saw Darry look back at him. Something had changed between the two men, and while they weren't entirely sure of what had changed just yet, they decided to keep their mouths shut. For now, at the very least.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully the next chapter will be out in a few weeks.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I need a break, maybe I'll take five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> totally hasn't been a year what're you talking about

A week had passed since the incident, as they had taken to calling it. No one said anything about it, and no one was going to even think about bringing it up in fear of Darry becoming closed off again. And, for the most part, Two-Bit had been mostly been accepted back by the gang. Except for Ponyboy and Dally, he felt them glaring daggers at him whenever he turned his back on them. He couldn't understand how angry Ponyboy had been at him, they were usually pretty talkative to one another. Well, Two-Bit talked and Ponyboy listened, giving the occasional comment or laugh. Now, all he got were cold stares from the fourteen-year-old. But, Two-Bit managed to ignore it. The kid would get over it, eventually.

Tim had taken to hanging out at the Curtis' house, and so did the rest of his boys it seemed. Darry wondered about it, sometimes. It almost felt as if there was always one of the Shepard's there, almost like a bodyguard of sorts. He didn't know, and he didn't really feel like asking the hood about it. It's not like it was hurting anyone, and he liked to talk to Tim's boys. They were all interesting, and they all tried to say their pleases and thank you's whenever one of them stayed for dinner. So they were allowed to stay.

Darry had just gotten back from work, tired to the bone and shoulders heavy with exhaustion. He nearly collapsed onto the couch when he saw Tim there, idly watching the Tv. He could tell by the glazed over look in his eyes that he wasn’t paying attention. The soft click of the door shutting pulled him out of his trance and they locked eyes, blue on blue. They stayed there, stuck for a moment until Tim smiled sympathetically, and pat the space next to him.

The only sounds in the room were the Tv and the soft puff of air that left Darry as he collapsed onto the cushion. Tim moved his arm to the back of the couch to give him room, running his finger over the bumpy fabric. He swallowed down the knot in his throat. He had been thinking about asking Darry all day, why couldn’t he just do it? He had gone over the words a billion times in his head this week, he was sure of it,  _ it wasn’t that hard _ .

He inhaled shakily and cleared his throat for good measure, keeping his gaze steadily on the Tv as he started, “Darrel?”

The quiet hum he received in response spurred him on, every other sound draining out under the volume of his own heartbeat, he was sure Darry could hear it too, “Uhm, well, god, well you seemed pretty down this week, for- for obvious reasons and, shit-” He ran his hand over his face as if that would reset his head and continued, “I was just wondering if you’d- if you’d wanna go out tomorrow. Do something fun.” The last sentence was mumbled as he realized how soft he sounded.

He turned to look at Darry, whose piercing eyes were staring right back at him. He thought of a distant memory from when he was younger, he and his parents had gone to see the glaciers in Alaska. The sun reflecting off of them to make the ice glow a pretty blue-green. Darry’s eyes were the closest color he had ever seen to the ice.

After a few breathless seconds, the older man whispered, “When were you planning on picking me up?” And Tim huffed out a laugh.

“You don’t have work tomorrow, right?” Tim asked, awestruck at the man sitting next to him. What on Earth had he done to deserve this? When Darry shook his head he nodded and suggested, “Five o’clock?”

“See you then.”

Tim broke into a face splitting grin and pulled Darry into a tight hug. The sound of the older man’s laugh spurred him on. He held him close for a minute before pulling away. He cleared his throat and looked to the side, resenting the red flush creeping up his cheeks. When he glanced back up to see the brunet’s shy smile, he couldn’t bring himself to care about it anymore.

He slowly stood up, Darry following seemingly without thinking about it. God, he was perfect. Tim found himself absentmindedly running his hands up and down the blue-eyed man’s sides, memorizing the curves. He felt an electric shock shoot up his spine when Darry’s hands ran up his biceps and to his shoulders, the skin on skin contact making him feel like one of the frilled up girls uptown, innocent and confused. It was thrilling.

He finally remembered himself and murmured, “I should be getting home.” But stayed in place.

“Hm, true, it is getting late.” Was the whispered reply.

“Wouldn’t want to worry Angel ‘nd Curly.”

“‘Course not.”

The air around them felt electric, and Tim’s mouth was dry. He noticed the space between them becoming smaller and smaller, but whatever protest he was going to think up died on the tip of his tongue. They were close enough now that Tim had to duck his head to keep looking at Darry’s face. When he did so, however, their noses bumped, and they both inhaled shakily. They both were leaning in, the gap mere millimeters and-

The clock in the kitchen sounded off, signaling the change of the hour. They jumped apart and Tim started counting the chimes in his head to calm down his racing heart.

_ One... _

_ Two... _

_ Three... _

_ Four... _

_ Five... _

_ Six... _

_ Seven... _

_ Eight... _

_ Nine... _

_ Ten. _

He looked up at Darry and smiled, a disbelieving laugh escaping him. Darry just shook his head and brushed some of his hair from his face, laughing along with him. After a few moments, Tim sighed and shook his head stretched his neck, he supposed that was his cue to leave.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Dar?” He asked, eyes bright and hopeful.

The older man nodded, his expression mirthful, “I’ll see you at five, Tim.”

The taller hummed and waved goodbye, walking out the door. He made it down the sidewalk before realizing that he had actually gotten  _ Darry Curtis  _ to agree to go on a date with him. He pauses and punched the air, laughing excitedly to get all of the energy out of his system. Once he was done being excited he looked around to make sure no one had seen him, shoved his hands in his pockets, and walked the rest of the way home.

Tomorrow was going to be a good day.


End file.
